Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use?

   / Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use? #111  
I've not read every response, but, there seem to be no votes for just using a backhoe.

Assuming the machine has one, why not use that? Or did I miss where the OP says he does not have one?
OP has one on order but no ETA on it.
 
   / Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use? #112  
I'm looking at planting a row of bushes. My first inclination was a hand-held auger but that might be a rough go with holes maybe getting to 10". I could use a smaller bit and drill multiple holes and try and combine them into a larger hole but when you are talking something like 50+ holes like that....meh!. Then I started thinking that maybe a tiller for my tractor might work but those only go so deep and I still need to move the dirt out of the ditch. If I had my backhoe(on order) then I guess that would be an easy solution. Other then those options anyone have any other ideas for relatively inexpensive ways to dig these holes? Would a trencher be an option?
I bought a post hole digger with a 12" auger when I needed to plant about 1200 trees with 10" pots. I ended up contracting the planting. I was very interested to see what equipment the professionals brought: Sharpened spades. A 6-man crew planted the first 600 trees by supper time. Each hole was quickly hand dug. I've since planted hundreds of trees myself this way. Simple and easy. KobaltTreeSpade.jpeg
 
   / Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use? #113  
How about a middle buster, that gets you through the sod and more than halfway to your 10" goal.
I planted a 180' row of privet bushes a few years ago. I used a middle buster and made a couple of passes. The trench was plenty deep and wide for all the small starter bushes I planted. After making the trench, I had a load of garden soil delivered and loosely filled in the trench with the rich soil before planting the starters by hand. This worked great for 1-qt starter plants and now they are doing very well and are about 16' tall.
 
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   / Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use?
  • Thread Starter
#114  
I've not read every response, but, there seem to be no votes for just using a backhoe.

Assuming the machine has one, why not use that? Or did I miss where the OP says he does not have one?
It's on order but hasn't arrived. I probably would have never started the thread if it I had it.
 
   / Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use?
  • Thread Starter
#115  
This is typical New England each 2x3' hole is 40% rocks 60% soil. Rocks are usually 5-18" and you can't plow or dig or use a spade, and a 3 PT PH digger is nearly useless with no down pressure. As Tony H stated go 2" into the ground and hit stones.

I had success with an 18" auger on a 3500LB Bobcat BT100 Tracked skidsteer with down pressure, then cleaned the holes out with my BH before planting. Still had to pick 4 yards of stone from 40 trees planted and use 8 yards of compost.
Not sure my land is that extreme form a rock to soil ratio but there are patches here and there where rocks are a problem. Especially when you hit one of those large rocks that usually have companion rocks just as big.
 
   / Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use?
  • Thread Starter
#116  
I bought a post hole digger with a 12" auger when I needed to plant about 1200 trees with 10" pots. I ended up contracting the planting. I was very interested to see what equipment the professionals brought: Sharpened spades. A 6-man crew planted the first 600 trees by supper time. Each hole was quickly hand dug. I've since planted hundreds of trees myself this way. Simple and easy. View attachment 755395
I've seen that shovel . Pretty heavy duty and not as expensive as the one with the fiberglass handle
 
   / Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use? #117  
I was thinking of trenching the whole thing for the two staggered rows. Not much 'neat' about that other than maybe the outer sides but even then the plan is to be trenched out 2-3 ft from the base. What are your thoughts about panting now? Leave in pots or get them in the ground?
Depends on what you are planting.
I am from New England but have never planted there. Much different than here. Ask an extension agent about your particular planting and location?
 
 
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